YouTube Joins Facebook in Billion-User Club

Everyone knows that YouTube has massive reach, and now the Google-owned video platform has put a number on its size. A big one.

During an event Wednesday night for Los Angeles-based advertisers and agencies, YouTube announced that it attracts more than one billion unique users each month. That positions YouTube as the as the world’s second biggest social network (though it’s not always considered a social network).

YouTube put the milestone in context by noting that it means almost half of the people on the Internet visits YouTube each month and that’s equal to about 10 Super Bowl audiences (of course, the Super Bowl accumulates its audience over a three or four hour window of time). Still, in keeping with the idea of social networks being countries, YouTube would rank behind China and India as the third largest country (fourth if Facebook were added to the mix).

The stat should serve as an powerful marketing benchmark for YouTube as next month’s Digital Content NewFronts approach (Adweek is the official media partner). The NewFronts are meant to serve as online video’s answer to TV’s annual upfront presentations, during which networks parade their new shows in front of advertisers. The LA presentation was preview of what YouTube will present during its Brandcast event on May 1 in New York during the unofficial NewFront week.

YouTube also put out some info that should fuel the industry's interest in mobile video, a popular topic at recent conferences. Zeroing in on Generation C (18-to-34 year-olds), YouTube found that the demographic is spending 74 percent more time watching YouTube on their smartphones now than they were last year and is on par with the number of people who check out the video platform on their desktop or laptop computers.

Everyone knows that YouTube has massive reach, and now the Google-owned video platform has put a number on its size. A big one.

During an event Wednesday night for Los Angeles-based advertisers and agencies, YouTube announced that it attracts more than one billion unique users each month. That positions YouTube as the as the world’s second biggest social network (though it’s not always considered a social network).

YouTube put the milestone in context by noting that it means almost half of the people on the Internet visits YouTube each month and that’s equal to about 10 Super Bowl audiences (of course, the Super Bowl accumulates its audience over a three or four hour window of time). Still, in keeping with the idea of social networks being countries, YouTube would rank behind China and India as the third largest country (fourth if Facebook were added to the mix).

The stat should serve as an powerful marketing benchmark for YouTube as next month’s Digital Content NewFronts approach (Adweek is the official media partner). The NewFronts are meant to serve as online video’s answer to TV’s annual upfront presentations, during which networks parade their new shows in front of advertisers. The LA presentation was preview of what YouTube will present during its Brandcast event on May 1 in New York during the unofficial NewFront week.

YouTube also put out some info that should fuel the industry's interest in mobile video, a popular topic at recent conferences. Zeroing in on Generation C (18-to-34 year-olds), YouTube found that the demographic is spending 74 percent more time watching YouTube on their smartphones now than they were last year and is on par with the number of people who check out the video platform on their desktop or laptop computers.